# Learn the Airship UI
Learn how to navigate the Airship dashboard, use composers to create and send messages, and manage your message history with list and calendar views.
# The Airship dashboard
> {{< glossary_definition "dashboard" >}}
The dashboard is where you create and access projects, containers for the settings, certificates, reports, and other details related to your messages and mobile wallet passes.
The dashboard has two levels:
- A list of all your messaging and mobile wallet projects.
- An individual project after opening it from the list of all projects.
Almost everything you do with Airship happens inside a project, including creating messages and wallet pass templates.
Viewing and finding your projects
At the top level of the dashboard, tiles display each messaging and mobile wallet project. Messaging projects list their name, environment, and channels. Mobile wallet projects list their name and pass type.
*The top-level dashboard in Airship*
If you have more than eight projects, up to four of your most recently accessed projects appear under Recent. Recent projects are not shown when sort, filter, or search are applied.
The default view is sorted by creation date, newest projects first. Select Name or Date Created to sort. Select again to toggle ascending/descending order. You can search for projects by complete or partial name.
Use filters to toggle views:
| Filter |
Description |
| Owner/Team |
Toggle between projects you own and projects you have non-owner access to. See Managing project access in Manage Messaging teams and access. All mobile wallet projects appear for Owner. |
| Live/Test |
Toggle between projects by environment type. All mobile wallet projects appear for Live. |
| Channel |
Select a channel configured for your account: Mobile apps, Web, SMS, Email, and Mobile wallet. After selecting Mobile apps you can filter again by platform. After selecting Mobile wallet you can further filter by pass type and company. |
## Navigating individual projects
From the top-level dashboard, select a tile to open a project, then navigate using the header and sidebar.
*Information and actions in the project dashboard header*
Select the help icon (?) for links to resources and the account menu icon (user-circle) for account-related information. Select the sidebar icon in the header to toggle its visibility.
Menus in the sidebar:
| Menu | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Favorites** | Your [bookmarked dashboard pages](#searching-and-favorites) |
| **Messages** | [Messages Overview](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#messages_overview), calendar, logs, tools, and more |
| **Content** | Web pages for [Preference Centers](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#preference_center), plus reusable content: [Templates](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#template), [Scene](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#scene) [Layouts](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/editors/native/custom-layouts/), [Snippets](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#snippet) and the [Media library](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/features/media/) |
| **Journeys** | Opens the [Journey Map](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#journey_map) |
| **Audience** | Information about and tools to help you effectively target your users |
| **Experiments** | [Holdout Experiments](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#holdout_experiment), [Feature Flags](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#feature_flag), and the Experimentation Hub |
| **Reports** | Analysis of your project's messaging use |
### Project settings and details
*The messaging project menu*
Select the project dropdown menu (▼) to access channel, app, and project settings. You can also go to your [Brand guidelines](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/features/brand-guidelines/) and [project details](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/getting-started/setup/#access-project-details).
To switch to a recently-accessed project, select a name from the list. A link to return to the top-level dashboard is at the bottom of the list.
### Searching and Favorites
Use the search box to find individual pages within the dashboard. To bookmark dashboard pages for quick access:
1. Go to the page you want to bookmark.
1. Select the favorite icon (★) in the header.
1. Enter a page name as you want it to appear in the quick access menu.
1. Select **Save**.
Your saved pages are available in the **Favorites** sidebar menu. To change a page name or remove it from Favorites, select the favorite icon (★) again.
### Creating messages
*Sidebar options in a messaging project*
Select the **Create** dropdown menu (▼) to choose **Message**, **Journey**, **Apple News**, **Scene**, or **A/B Test**. Select **Create** to access all message creation options and [Composer Favorites](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#composer_favorites).
When the sidebar is collapsed, select the edit icon (✏) in the header to access the Create dropdown menu options.
# Composer navigation
> A composer is a tool for creating messages using the dashboard.
To open a composer, select the plus sign icon (+) in the project dashboard and make a selection.
## Layout
After you open a composer, the layout is generally the same for each. See the image and legend for each part of the composer:
*The content step in the Message composer*
| Number | Description |
| --- | --- |
| 1 | Go to the top-level [Dashboard](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#dashboard). |
| 2 | These are the project's icon, name, and environment type. |
| 3 | [Name a message](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/manage/edit/#message-names) or [flag a message as a test](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/manage/flag-as-test/). In a [Sequence](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#sequence), the Sequence name and message position appear to the right of the settings icon (⚙). |
| 4 | Progress through the composer steps. For more information, see [Composer progress](#composer-progress) below. |
| 5 | [Preview personalized content](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/personalization/previewing/). |
| 6 | Create a [Composer Favorite](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#composer_favorites). Available in the Message composer only. |
| 7 | Exit the composer or perform other actions, like reverting an edit. For more information, see [Exit menu](#exit-menu) below. |
| 8 | Select the arrow icon (arrow-left) to expose Help & Summary. The Help tab displays information relevant to the current step. Select the help icon (?) in the composer and the Help tab will open to that topic. The Summary tab lists your message's current content and configuration. |
| 9 | Select a channel to configure the content in multi-channel messages. For more information, see [Content configuration](#content-configuration) below. |
| 10 | On the Content and Review steps, the device preview updates with your changes. Select the arrows to page through the various device previews. The [Scene](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#scene) composer has various [preview tools](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/editors/native/about/#preview-tools). The preview for open channels is a table. |
| 11 | Select a different message type or [Template](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#template). |
| 12 | For App and Web, a color-coded indicator appears below the text box, warning when your message may be truncated on some devices. For SMS, a counter appears above the text box, showing the total number of characters and how many individual SMS messages will be sent. Best practice is to make your message as brief as possible, though some customers find success when a message truncates, teasing their audience to learn more. |
| 13 | Your drafts are saved automatically. To access your draft messages, go to **Messages**, then **Messages Overview**, then **Drafts**. |
{class="table-col-1-compact"}
## Composer progress
In the Message, Automation, A/B Test, and Sequence composers, completed steps are green and a check mark icon (✓) indicates you have met the minimum requirements for the current step. An exclamation point icon (
) indicates the minimum requirements are not met. Select a step name to move ahead or to go back and edit.
*A completed Content step in the Message composer*
*An incomplete Content step in the Message composer*
In the In-App Automation and Scene composers, each step is indicated as a dot. Hover over a dot to see its step name appear. Return to any previous step by seelcting its dot. Select the right arrow icon (caret-circle-right) to continue to the next step. The icon will be greyed out and inactive until the step's minimum requirements are fulfilled. In the final step, Select **Finish**.
*The Audience step in the In-App Automation composer*
## Exit menu
When you select **Exit** while composing a message, your message is saved as a draft and you will go to [Messages Overview](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#messages_overview). For messages in a [Sequence](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#sequence), you will go to the [Sequence Manager](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#sequence_manager) instead of Messages Overview. If composing a new message in a Sequence, your message is saved as a draft. If editing a message in a Sequence, your changes are saved.
In a message, select the down arrow icon (▼) for more options:
| Option | Description and supported composers |
| --- | --- |
| **Delete** | Deletes a Message, Automation, Scene, In-App Automation, A/B Test, or [Composer Favorite](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#composer_favorites) |
| **Revert** | Cancels edits to a Message, Automation, A/B test, Sequence, or Composer Favorite |
| **Save changes** | Saves edits in a Composer Favorite |
| **Make a copy...** | Makes a copy of a Composer Favorite |
In the Sequence Manager, select the down arrow icon (▼) for more options:
| Option | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Save and exit** | Applies changes to the Sequence and opens the Sequence in the [Journey Map](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#journey_map) — If your Sequence is in progress, select the Sequence in the map, then select **Publish changes** to resume your Sequence with your changes applied. Changes to [outcomes](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/messages/sequences/create/outcomes/) are published automatically after saving. |
| **Revert** | Exits the Sequence without saving changes and opens the Sequence in the [Journey Map](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#journey_map) |
| **Archive** | Stops and archives the Sequence — **Archiving a started/active Sequence also cancels its undelivered messages and may affect linked components in a [Journey](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#journey)**. |
## Content configuration
When you select multiple channels in the Message, Automation, A/B test, and Sequence composers, you configure the content on a separate tab for each:
*Configuring App content*
*Configuring Web content*
*Configuring Email content*
*Configuring SMS content*
*Configuring Open channel content*
# Messages Overview and Calendar
> List and calendar views organize the messages in your project. You can search, filter, and manage messages from both views.
The list and calendar views show messages based on retention periods that vary by message type:
* [In-App Automations](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#iaa) and [Scenes](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#scene) with a set end date or those that were cancelled appear for 386 days after the end or cancellation date.
* Messages in a Sequence, Automations, and messages with recurring delivery remain visible while active and are removed 12 months after cancellation or a set end date.
## Messages Overview
To view your messages in a list, select **Home** or go to **Messages**, then **Messages Overview**. This is also the first screen you see after opening a messaging project.
### Viewing by status
Your messages are organized into various views you can select from the top of the page:
| View | Origin composer or experiment type | Available messages |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **All** | All composers | All messages |
| **Ongoing** | Message, A/B Test1 | Messages with recurring delivery |
| **Ongoing** | Automation, Sequence, In-App Automation, Scene | Active automated messages, including paused Sequences |
| **Scheduled** | Message, A/B Test1 | Messages with a future delivery date |
| **Drafts** | All composers and A/B Test1 | Messages that are not yet sent, not yet active, or incomplete |
| **History** | All composers and A/B Test1 | Messages that have been sent, stopped, or have reached their end date, including recurring messages and any In-App Automations or Scenes that have been expired or stopped for more than 14 days |
| **Tests** | All composers and A/B Test1 | Messages that were designated as a test, sent to a [Test Group](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#preview_test_groups), or sent using the Send Test feature |
| **Archive** | All composers and A/B Test1 | [Archived messages](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/manage/archive/) |
1. Message variants in a [message A/B test](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/experimentation/a-b-tests/messages/) are listed individually and labeled as originating from the Message composer. The label **A/B Test** refers to a [legacy message A/B test](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/experimentation/a-b-tests/messages-legacy/), whose messages are contained within the test and are not listed individually in Messages Overview.
Each view displays messages in a table, last updated first, with the following information:
| Column | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Name** | This is the name entered when creating the message, or "Untitled". If the message is a component in a [Journey](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#journey), the node icon (
) appears next to the name. If the message is a variant in a [message A/B test](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/experimentation/a-b-tests/messages/), the test name appears above the message name and links to the test. |
| **Text** | When available, this is the message text. It does not appear for A/B Tests, Scenes, or Sequences since they may contain multiple screens or messages. |
| **Channels** | These are the channels selected for delivery. |
| **Audience** | This is the audience selected for delivery. |
| **Delivery** | When available, this is the date and time when the message was sent. Information varies per composer and delivery specification. |
| **Throttle Delivery** | This is the rate of delivery, if [set for the message](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/messages/delivery/delivery-options/#throttle-delivery). |
| **Message Details** | This is a summary of data shown for a message in its expanded view. |
Toggle **Expand All Messages** to see a full version of the message information or a summary.
### Filtering and searching the list
Apply filters to update the list:
| Filter type | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Date** | Use the date filter to apply a predetermined range or enter a custom range. Within a time frame, you can also apply **Last Updated**, **Delivery Date**, and **Creation Date** filters. All dates and times are in UTC. |
| **Tests** | Toggle **Hide Tests** to show/hide messages that were flagged as a test or sent to a test group. This option is not present in the Tests view. |
| **Trigger** | In the Ongoing view, filter by **Automation trigger** for Automations and Sequences or **In-app automation trigger** for In-App Automations and Scenes. |
You can also apply filters when searching. Select a filter next to the search field, then enter a search term or choose from matches available when selecting the search field.
Search filters:
| Search filter | Where search is applied to |
| --- | --- |
| **Campaign Categories** | [Campaign Categories](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#campaign_categories) added when creating a message |
| **Channels** | [Channels](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#channel_engage) configured for your project |
| **Composers** | [Composers](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#composer) available in your project |
| **Created By** | Usernames of message creators |
| **Experience Type** | Scenes of type Branching, Embedded Content, Experiment (A/B test), NPS Survey, Survey (non-NPS), or Story |
| **Message Content** | Text in the body of messages, and message, Sequence, and legacy A/B test names |
| **Message Type** | Push notification, In-App Message (not In-App Automation), and Message Center |
| **Push ID** | [Push IDs](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#push_id) of messages sent from the Airship dashboard |
### Managing messages
At the end of each message row are icons for message management options:
| Option | Description | Steps |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Edit** | [Opens the message for editing](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/manage/edit/) | Select the edit icon (
). |
| **Duplicate** | [Makes a copy of the message](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/manage/duplicate/) | Select the duplicate icon (
). |
| **Archive or unarchive a message** | [Moves the message to or from the Archive view](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/manage/archive/) | Select the archive icon (
). |
| **Delete** | [Removes the message from the project](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/manage/delete/) | Select the delete icon (trash). |
| **Change status** | [Starts, pauses, or stops ongoing, throttled, and recurring messages](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/manage/change-status/) | Select the play icon (play), pause icon (⏸), or stop icon (
). |
| **View the message in a mapped view** | For Scenes, In-App Automation, and Sequences, opens the message in the [Journey Map](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#journey_map) | Select the node icon (
). |
| **Collapse or expand details** | Displays a full version of the message information or a summary | Select the collapse icon (
) or expand icon (
). |
| **Open its report** | Opens a [message report](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/reports/message/), [Scene report](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/in-app-experiences/scenes/create/scene-reports/), Sequence [Performance report](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#sequence_performance), or [legacy message A/B test report](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/experimentation/a-b-tests/messages-legacy/) | Select the report icon (
). |
### Viewing automation counts
To view your current number of automations and your project limits, go to the **Ongoing** view and select the info icon (ⓘ).
* **Active and Total Automations** — The number of active and total (active plus paused) automations, which includes:
* Automations created using the [Automation composer](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/messages/sequences/create-automation/)
* Automations created using the [`/pipelines` endpoint](https://www.airship.com/docs/developer/rest-api/ua/operations/automation/)
* Each message in [Sequences](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#sequence)
Archived and draft messages are not included in these counts. Automation limits are determined by your Airship package. See [Automation](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/feature-packages/#automation) in the *Feature packages reference*.
* **In-App Automation and Scenes** — The total number of active and paused in-app experiences.
See also [Message Limits](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#message_limits).
## Calendar
To view your messages in a calendar, go to **Messages**, then **Calendar**.
The calendar view shows you:
* When messages are scheduled to send
* The duration of messages with start and/or end dates
* How message schedules overlap
* Send history
The calendar does not include drafts or messages designated as a test, sent to a [Test Group](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#preview_test_groups), or sent using the Send Test feature.
### Visual indicators
Colors identify messages by their origin composer. Each color corresponds to a Message Type filter you can use to update the view. The Message, A/B Test, and Automation composers support multiple channels and message types. See [Composers — How you can send](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/getting-started/basics/#composers) in *Messaging basics*.
These colors correspond to the following filters and composers:
| Color | Message Type filter | Composer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Blue** | Message | [Message](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/messages/create/), [Automation](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/messages/sequences/create-automation/), and [A/B Test](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/experimentation/a-b-tests/messages/) |
| **Purple** | Sequence | [Sequence](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#sequence) |
| **Green** | In-App Automation and Scene | [In-App Automation](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#iaa) and [Scene](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#scene) |
Color shading indicates message status. These shading styles correspond to the following filters and message statuses:
| Shade | Status filter | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Solid** | Active | Applicable to recurring messages and active Automations, Sequences, Scenes, and In-App Automations |
| **Solid** | Scheduled | Applicable to messages with a future delivery date |
| **Slashes** | Paused | Applicable to paused Sequences, recurring messages, and any In-App Automations or Scenes that have been expired or stopped for fewer than 14 days |
| **Lighter shade** | Done | Applicable to messages that have been sent, stopped, or have reached their end date, including recurring messages and any In-App Automations or Scenes that have been expired or stopped for more than 14 days |
### Viewing message details
*Viewing a message's details in the project calendar*
Select a message in the calendar to view its details:
* Message name
* Associated Message Type filter
* Send, scheduled, start, and/or end dates, depending on message configuration
* Message status
Following the message details, when available, select **View message** to open the message in its origin composer. Select **View report** to open its [message report](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/reports/message/), [Scene report](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/in-app-experiences/scenes/create/scene-reports/), or Sequence [Performance report](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#sequence_performance).
### Filtering and searching the calendar
Search for a specific message by name. Use the Message Type, Status, or time range filters to update the calendar content. See the [Message Type and Status descriptions](#visual-indicators) in *Visual indicators* above.
These are the formats for the time range filters:
| Filter type | Format |
| --- | --- |
| **Month** | Sunday to Saturday, one week per row |
| **Week** | Sunday to Saturday, one hour per row |
| **Day** | One hour per row |
Select **Back** or **Next** to navigate between time periods. Select **Today** to return to the current date.
In the Month view, when a day contains more messages than can be displayed, select **+ X more** to go to the Day view and see all messages for that day.